Norselic acids A-E, highly oxidized anti-infective steroids that deter mesograzer predation, from the Antarctic sponge Crella sp.

Five new steroids, norselic acids A-E (1-5), were isolated from the sponge Crella sp. collected in Antarctica. The planar structures of the norselic acids were established by extensive NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry studies, and the configuration of norselic acid A (1) was elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Norselic acid A displays antibiotic activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), and Candida albicans and reduces consumption of food pellets by sympatric mesograzers. Compounds 1-5 are also active against the Leishmania parasite at low micromolar levels.